Salmon's Druggist Opened

Diana, one of our Library volunteers has discovered a love of this book which we will be displaying on Saturday 10 june 2017 for our medically themed tours. She writes: William Salmon was a physician living in the 17th Century. This book was written in 1693 and comprises 10 books in one volume.

1. Metals and minerals

2. Salts and their preparation

3. Sulphur - solid and liquid

4. Stones and earth

5. Man and beasts

6. Birds and fowl

7. Parts of animals

8. Parts of plants

9. Gums, Rosus and Balsums

10. Herbs and plants

As you can see, it was all embracing and covered everything you might want to know, with a comprehensive list of all diseases known to man at that time, togther with what and how to treat them. However he was furious in his rage against those who dared to disagree with him. "It may be some ignorant and malicious fellow, such a one as is the nasty author of an Impertinent and Scurrillous pamphlet called Medicaster, may bedaub me with his Ordure and Excrement, as he latterly done the Ashes of the Dead and the ghost of honest Culpeper who has been at rest these forty years. But I am alive (thanks be to God) to castigate his Insolence at least to Trample upon his Contumelies, which I shall do by slighting his Ignorance and Malice, and not resenting the injury, lest the trifling Senseless should set a value on his folly and tower himself in his Ribbaldry, which only merits scorn and contempt.

Had the little barking animal of Plymouth assaulted my Reputation only, I had never put Pen to Paper to mention the silly Wretch ...............it being not necessary for a man to turn the Face when the Breech will serve the turn as is useful in a generous Mastive, when a little whispering Cur pretends to be takn of the snarling Puppy (being below despicable) but only to slight him adn piss upon him ......" And so on! It is heady stuff and one woudl not get away with it these days.